S-3B Viking

The Viking entered service in 1974 as a platform for hunting Soviet submarines, the end of the Cold War shifting the airplane’s role to surveillance, aerial refueling and precision targeting against enemy forces and infrastructure on the ground.  After flying combat missions during Operation Iraqi Freedom, on May 1, 2003, this airplane transported President George W. Bush when he became the first sitting president to make a carrier arrested landing, trapping on board the USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72).  During its service, the Viking received the nickname the “Hoover” because of the vacuum-like sound its engines made.